Friday, 8 August 2014

Ugandan Lawmakers are determined to reinstate one of the most draconian laws in the world. Uganda’s anti-gay law could be returning as soon as next week.

A group of lawmakers have announced they will call for a motion, to reinstate the law, be passed in parliament on Tuesday (12 August). The 165 members of parliament who have signed the petition are hoping a swift vote will undo a ruling last week by Uganda’s Constitutional Court that invalidated the Anti-Homosexuality Act. The Act was nullified on grounds that it was passed without the required quorum. The law punished homosexuality and the promotion of homosexuality with life in jail.

Lawmaker Latif Ssebaggala said: ‘We want to ensure everybody that we have not backtracked. We are still on course and in fact we are more energized that our culture, our norms, our religious norms are protected.’ They claim it is in their right to demand that laws be passed without following proper procedure, and that the Anti-Homosexuality Act should be reinstated immediately.

Gay rights activists have warned that parliament, under pressure from religious influences and public, could do anything to ensure the law gets reinstated as soon as possible. Edwin Sesange, a Ugandan gay rights advocate has said ‘I call on the LGBT community in Uganda and human rights defenders all over the world and to be prepared for the worst because it looks like people are so determined to promote their hatred. We have to be prepared as much as we can.’

Also the Attorney General of Uganda has filed a Notice of Appeal in an attempt to reverse the Constitutional Court’s judgment. Advocates are now preparing to fight the appeal all the way to Uganda's Supreme Court.

UK Evangelical Paul "Kill the Gays" Shinners spoke in favour of the Bill at an Anti-Gay rally in December 2012, while the Bill still included the DEATH PENALTY. Shinners is the Managing Director of a UK Registered Charity and has been on many trips to Uganda and other African Nations spreading his hate speech. He also claims to have Jesus-like powers and claims he can cure diseases like Cancer on his website. He regularly performs "healings" and exorcisms (which he calls "deliverances") on members of his church.

Here is what Shinners' aggressively homophobic host in Uganda on a number of visits had to say on the radio the day before the Anti-Homosexuality Act was overturned by Uganda's Constitutional Court...

Paul Shinners is part of the St Neots based River Church family and is a member of the Evangelical Alliance, a outspokenly homophobic, anti-gay interntional Evangelical Network. Shinners has the support and backing of the Leader of River Church, Rob McFarlane, who came to the UK after running a Ministry in the aggressively homophobic Zimbabwe for 18 years, where like Uganda, Homosexuality is illegal...

Friday, 1 August 2014

The Constitutional Court in Kampala has declared the passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into an act as null and void. On Friday, a panel of five judges unanimously nullified the Anti-Homosexuality Act on grounds that it was passed without the required quorum.

LGBT activist Kasha and colleagues celebrate after court nullified the anti-homosexuality law

However, the Government is now going to petition Supreme Court over Court ruling on the Anti-Homosexuality law. David Bahati, the MP who introduced the bill in 2009, has said that the Attorney General will petition the Supreme Court over the Constitutional Court ruling on the Act, just hours after the court nullified it.

“I want to thank the speaker, MPs who stood for what is right. The court case ruling is no victory at all, the morals of the people of Uganda will prevail,” Mr Bahati said in a press briefing before adding, “The Attorney General who is very competent will petition the constitutional court over the constitutional court ruling. Our competent legal team will continue to petition the Supreme Court and I believe we will win.”

Before the court ruling Bishop David Kiganda (the Ugandan host of UK hate preacher Paul Shinners on at least 2 occasions) said the following on a radio talk show:

"If gays win the court case tomorrow, trust me we are going to slaughter them, they are few in numbers and we know that."